Growth Mindset

26 July 2018

We often hear about ‘growth mindset’ when we talk about motivation, goal setting and success. But what does it actually mean?

In its simplest terms, you never know what is around the corner or over the next hill. It could well be a mountain! Or it could be a smooth plain. Whether you will get past it relies on your belief. If you see it as a barrier to achieving your goals, rather than thinking of ways around or over it, you’ll never get past it to see what’s on the other side.

You’re faced with another mountain to climb, one challenge after another and fatigue is setting in. You have two options. One: you believe it’s too big a challenge. It’s too hard and you’re certain that it’s going to be difficult and you won’t reach the top. In this mindset, you’re acutely aware of how difficult each step is, of every ache and pain. Your shoulders are slumped, your heart rate slows, and your mood drops. The second option is that you believe you can reach the top. You’re excited to get there, your head is held high, your heart is pumping and, despite it being difficult along the way, you know how great it’s going to feel when you reach the summit.

So how likely are you to reach the top with either mindset? Invariably, when you believe that you can do it, that impacts every part of you mentally and physically and you’re much more likely to succeed. Belief is everything!

Fixed vs Growth Mindset

When you have a fixed mindset, you’re stuck in those beliefs – you’re either good at something or you aren’t. You believe you’ll never get over the mountain. No room for change. Failure or success is thanks to what you’re good at or what you’re not.

Yet, those with a growth mindset know that they can develop their skills, they can grow and do anything they set their mind to. They give it a go, they work out how to get over the mountain or across the plain. Learning new skills and working out ways to be more efficient.

If you believe you can grow and be open to learning the skills you need, you’re half way there!

Tony Robbins often talks about limiting beliefs. These are the things we pick up as we grow older that remind us that we can’t do something. The belief that you can’t achieve something because you’re not good enough, smart enough or strong enough. How often have you said that you can’t or won’t be able to do something because you don’t currently have the skills? Or because you’ve been told that you couldn’t do something.

There have been so many times that I have been told that something isn’t possible or that I am not able to achieve a goal that I have set. Does that stop me? No! I don’t limit my beliefs, the only limit is my imagination! Of course, some goals are massive and I don’t achieve them right away, but you can be certain that I will make significant progress toward the goal because I believe that I can.

I am a firm believer in life that you can achieve anything that you put your mind to. If you believe it, you can achieve it. It really is that simple.